So why hasn't this race -- where not only do the teams have to zip around the world, they have to overcome detours and roadblocks thrown in by the show -- become the hit it deserves to be?

"It's such a fantasy to pack up and travel away. People can sit at home and identify with people like them. It's good clean fun, and that could be its weakness. It's not a train-wreck mentality ... we don't have that one-liner, the train-wreck line," says Keoghan. "But I like the fact that the show is simple and not too complicated."

He also blames bad luck. The first Amazing Race had the misfortune of debuting just before 9/11. The second and third season got lost in a glut of reality programming.

Now, however, the Race is getting the Survivor time slot on Thursday and may finally get the ratings it deserves.

On the bright side though, I really do wonder whether dedicated fans' feedback about the quality of the show, along with good but certainly not bad ratings in the past have caused CBS to really give this show a chance. A good time slot during summer will really give it a lot of exposure. Maybe CBS heard our calls about how the show deserves so much better and gave it more of a chance? Well it would be nice if it were like that, but it probably isn't

I heard on a radio ad that they have better editors this year, so the show should be better than ever and easier and more exciting to follow - according to the commercial, although I've never had a problem with the editing...